Whiteboard Strategy

In The Strategy, a new week-by-week plan created to help churches promote the GPS Event, mention is made of using a whiteboard in the “3 Weeks Out” section. Here’s a fuller explanation of what we mean…

During the week prepare a whiteboard for use in your Sunday services. The size of the whiteboard will be determined by how many men you hope to bring from your church. Head the whiteboard up with something like “Men from this church who are going to GPS”. Add an Event poster to the whiteboard to give it a slightly more professional edge. List the names of the men who have registered. Make sure you place the pastor and key Men’s Ministry leaders at the top of the list. Write up slightly more numbers than the men you hope to bring (ie: If you expect 10 men to come, write numbers up to 13; 25 men, number up to 30, etc). Obviously the more men you have coming, the bigger the whiteboard will need to be.

It is important that you don’t use too small a whiteboard if you are a large church, or too large a whiteboard if you are small. The whiteboard should look full, but have spaces left on it – that’s the key.

Also add an encouragement for people to pray for the men somewhere on the board.

When complete, place the whiteboard at the front of the church and ensure that the pastor or service leader is on board to help you. During the service/s have the pastor (preferably) highlight the Event to the congregation, and let them know that the following men have so far signed up to go. Ask the pastor to lead the congregation in prayer for both the Event itself, and for the men from your church that are going.

Naturally, it would be ideal to have them also promote the fact that it is not too late to register and that there are still spaces on both the whiteboard and at the Event!

Immediately following the service, shift the whiteboard into the foyer or part of the building where people – especially men – congregate. It could go near the notice board, where people get their coffee from, or near the door they will leave through.

The goal is to inspire men who have not yet signed up to join the Group of men who are already going to the Event.

Have a number of men stand near the whiteboard and challenge all the men to join the Group - ie don’t miss this opportunity! Add any man who agrees to come to the whiteboard immediately and then take his details for registration purposes.